To the Point v59 — Repeat Antiphon Engraving

To the Point v59

A Psalm and Canticle Pointing Editor

Chanting psalms and canticles can be approached through several traditions of pointing, including plainsong psalm tones and Anglican chant. To the Point is designed to help you prepare text for these systems: type or paste a psalm or canticle below, load the text, and then add the pointing marks needed for your chosen chant method. You may select one of the built-in reference engravings or upload your own reference tone for use during the current session. For more information about how to use these tools and about different methods of pointing psalms and canticles, see the resources and references at the bottom of this page.

Verse numbers at the beginning of lines can be recognized automatically. Line breaks are preserved. After loading the text, tap or click individual characters to add pointing, or use the range tools for italics, bold, underlining, overlining, ties, and brackets.

Example Text from Psalm 100 Replace this example with your own psalm or canticle.
Appends the selected doxology to the end of the loaded psalm.
Open Existing File

Already have a To the Point project? Open a saved .ttpf file to restore its text, pointing, settings, reference tone, and embedded engravings.

Upload a PNG, JPG, or SVG of the antiphon. In full-page exports it appears after the title and subtitle and before the psalm-tone engraving. Use the [Ant.] markers in the text for textual repetition cues, or check “Repeat the antiphon engraving at the end of the psalm” to print the actual engraving again after the final verse or Gloria.

The uploaded antiphon stays in this session and is also embedded when you save a .ttpf project. If “Repeat the antiphon engraving at the end of the psalm” is checked, the actual engraving is printed again after the final verse or Gloria in PNG and PDF exports.

Choose one of the Order’s engraved psalm tones as a visual reference while you point the text.

Custom engravings stay in this session and are also embedded when you save a .ttpf project.

Reference engraving

Playback follows the unparenthesized notes, sustains the reciting notes, and pauses briefly at whole-note cadences. Choosing a first reciting note transposes playback only; the engraving remains at its written pitch.

Tap a character to begin pointing.
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Guide to Pointing Symbols and Range Marks

Psalm-pointing conventions are not completely universal. A mark that has one meaning in a plainsong psalter may be used somewhat differently in an Anglican chant psalter. The descriptions below give common uses and explain what each tool in To the Point is designed to do. When you are working from a particular psalter or chant edition, its own instructions should take precedence.

A useful distinction: a melisma is one syllable sung to more than one note. A slur is the musical sign that can indicate those notes are sung together on that syllable. That is different from an elision, which normally means omitting or blending a sound.

Above the Text

´ Acute accent. Historically associated with a rising or higher accent. In psalm pointing it is often used to identify an accented syllable, a syllable that receives melodic emphasis, or the place where the voice begins to move away from the reciting tone. The exact interpretation depends on the psalter.
` Grave accent. The opposite-facing accent, historically associated with a lower or falling gesture. Some systems use acute and grave marks directionally; others use only one accent shape. This tool is provided for editions that distinguish them.
•• Two-dot slur / two-note melisma. Commonly indicates that one syllable is sung to two notes rather than one. In material associated with The Hymnal 1982, two dots over a word indicate a slur. Some psalters describe the same idea simply as “one syllable sung to two notes.”
••• Three-dot slur / three-note melisma. This extends the same visual idea for a syllable carried across three notes. Triple-dot usage is less standardized than the two-dot sign, so consult the source you are following when its convention is important.

Inserted After a Syllable or Word

* Asterisk. Frequently marks a pause, breath, or important division in the text. In some Anglican pointing systems it is specifically used where the chanter should pause before continuing.
/ Slash. A general division mark used by several modern pointing systems. It may correspond to a musical bar line, cadence division, or another prescribed change in the tone.
| Single bar. In Anglican chant, commonly marks the move into the next measure or bar of the chant. The words preceding it remain on the current portion of the chant; the following text begins the next measure.
|| Double bar. Commonly marks the end of a cadence or a larger musical division. In natural-speech Anglican pointing, it replaces the single bar at the end of the cadence.
• Division dot. In Anglican chant it can show the precise point at which the text moves from the first note or portion of a measure to the second. It is especially useful where several syllables must be distributed within one measure.
§ No-pause sign. In the Chant Psalter convention, this tells the chanter not to pause at the following double bar, allowing the text to continue through the cadence.
– Plain dash. Some pointing systems use a dash to show that a syllable is sustained or carried forward, or that a reciting note is treated specially. Because usage varies, this tool is intentionally neutral and can follow the convention of the edition you are reproducing.
Short upper tick. An apostrophe- or inverted-comma-like pointing mark found in older and alternate Anglican systems. It can serve much like a compact bar marker, indicating a move within the chant without using a full-height vertical line.

Inserted Before the Following Text

— | Dash + bar. Places a sustained or anticipatory dash immediately before a bar transition. It is useful for editions that show a carried syllable or omitted/anticipated note in conjunction with a bar mark.
— / Dash + slash. The corresponding form for systems that use a slash rather than a vertical bar as the division sign.
† Flex. Marks a secondary division within a verse or half-verse. In plainsong practice the flex normally signals a slight melodic inflection and a modest textual pause before the recitation continues.
^ Caret. Included for psalters or local pointing systems that use a caret as a special grouping or directional cue. Its meaning is not universal, so it should be interpreted according to the chant source in use.

Range Marks and Text Treatments

I Italics. Many plainsong pointing systems use italic type for preparatory syllables: syllables sung to notes that lead away from the reciting tone before the principal accented note. It may also be used simply to reproduce the typography of a particular psalter.
B Bold. Frequently used to identify an accented syllable or the principal syllable associated with a melodic change. Some modern plainsong resources use bold specifically for the accented note of a mediant or ending.
[ ] Square brackets. Enclose a selected range exactly as printed text. Brackets are useful for optional material, editorial additions, or any pointing system that groups text typographically with square brackets.
( ) Parentheses. Enclose a selected range in parentheses. Depending on the source, parentheses may identify optional syllables, alternate text, or notes/syllables treated parenthetically in the chant.
U Underline. Draws a continuous line beneath the selected syllables. Underlining is used by some local or editorial systems to distinguish stressed syllables, changed notes, or another layer of pointing information.
O Overline. Draws a continuous line above the selected range. It can be used to show grouped text, sustained recitation, or to reproduce an edition whose pointing employs an upper line.
⌣ Underslung tie. Groups a span beneath the text. This is useful when several written syllables or characters need to be visually associated with one musical gesture or when reproducing a psalter that uses an underslung tie/slur convention.
⊓ Over-bracket. Draws a horizontal bracket above the selected range with short downward ends. In Anglican material associated with The Hymnal 1982, an overhead bracket can indicate a tie; another Episcopal explanation describes it as connecting two syllables that are sung to one note.

Why so many options? Pointing is editorial as well as musical. Different plainsong, simplified chant, and Anglican chant books solve the problem in different ways. To the Point therefore provides a broad vocabulary of marks so that you can reproduce the convention of the chant source you actually use rather than being forced into a single system.

Resources for Pointing and Chanting Psalms

Plainsong and Psalm Tones

Cantica Sacra — Workshop on Chanting the Psalms
A practical introduction to singing psalms with plainsong tones, including guidance for using the St. Dunstan’s Plainsong Psalter.

Cantica Sacra — Tutorials for Chanting the Psalms
Worked examples of psalms sung to several plainsong tones.

St. Dunstan’s Plainsong Psalter Resources
Background, recordings, and resources organized by psalm and tone.

Reading Chant Notation — Cantica Sacra
A concise guide to relating pointed text to plainsong notation.

The Nine Psalm Tones in Plainchant — All Saints Anglican Church
A video demonstration of the principal psalm tones.

Parish Chant — Gregorian Psalm Tones
Audio and video examples for Modes I–VIII and Tonus Peregrinus.

Anglican Chant

Chant Psalter — Natural Speech Rhythm
A complete Anglican chant psalter with a clear guide to pointing symbols.

Psalms in Worship — Anglican Music Resources
Resources comparing Gregorian chant, simplified Anglican chant, and full Anglican chant.

Guide to Anglican Chant — 1928 Common Prayer
An overview of Anglican chant structure, reciting notes, cadences, and verse pairing.

Chant Pointer
Another digital pointing tool with a brief explanation of Anglican pointing conventions.

Historical Source

The Psalm Tones from the Sarum Tonale (1905)
A digitized historical source from the Plainsong and Mediaeval Music Society.